That Woodworking Class You’ve Been Meaning to Take

And five other skills to cultivate.

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By Eric Benson
Published Jan 31, 2010

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(Photo: Courtesy of 3rd Ward)

Butchering
Brooklyn Kitchen Labs
100 Frost St., at Meeker St., Williamsburg; 718-349-5032; $80 per person; 2/9 and 2/23 at 6:30 p.m.
Learn to get the most from a 100-pound side of a Duroc-Hampshire hog, including lesser-known cuts (trotters, anyone?) to make cheap, savory stews and charcuterie.

Animal Tracking
Alley Pond Park Adventure Center
enter at Winchester Blvd., under Grand Central Pkwy., Alley Pond Park, Flushing; 718-846-2731; free; 2/6 at noon
Follow paw prints in the snow, claw marks on bark, and bird droppings under trees to the opossums, squirrels, and owls that call Queens home.

Intro to Woodworking
3rd Ward
195 Morgan Ave., nr. Stagg St., Bushwick; 718-715-4961; $450; four-class cycle starts 2/21
The four-session course (capped at six students) will leave you with two pieces (a mallet and an end table) and budding expertise in tools and wood-shop machines.

(Photo: Courtesy of EMS)

Ice Climbing 101
Eastern Mountain Sports Climbing School
Gardiner, N.Y.; 845-255-3280; $275 individual, $150 group
EMS’s beginner course teaches the basics of ice axes, crampons, and lifesaving knots. You start up 30-foot verticals on day one.

Winter Camping
Floyd Bennett Field,
Flatbush Ave., at Aviation Rd., Gateway National Recreation Area; 718-338-3799; $20 a night, $50 for three nights
You could be among the first New Yorkers to brave a winter’s night at this National Park Service campground. BYO ax for firewood.

(Photo: Hannah Whitaker)

Riflery
Westside Rifle & Pistol Range,
20 W. 20th St., nr. Fifth Ave.; 212-929-7287; $65
An introductory riflery class includes a safety course, firing-line instruction, and 50 rounds of ammo.